Following UFC 103 double-bonus performance, this Story has a happy ending

Rick Story and Brian Foster were joking around Saturday night just a few hours after punching each other in the face. Watching a re-broadcast of their UFC 103 fight from the locker room, the talk quickly turned to money.

“He said he was sure I had Submission of the Night,” Story recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “The only other submission (during UFC 103) was a rear-naked choke.

“I’m not sure which one of us brought it up, but we started talking about Fight of the Night. They showed us on Spike and then again at the end of the pay-per-view, so we knew they must have liked it.”

On cue, Dana White and Joe Silva entered the room.

“Congratulations,” White said, smiling. “You’re rich.”

In a rare double-whammy, Story was awarded both bonuses: $65,000 for Submission of the Night and $65,000 for Fight of the Night. Foster received $65,000 for his part in the Fight of the Night.

“It was surreal,” Story said. “You work for something for so long, and then it actually happens. It was a dream come true.”

While locker room bonuses do little to change the standard of living for stars such as Anderson Silva or Randy Couture, they can literally change the lives of fighters like Rick Story. In less than 10 minutes, he earned more than 10 times the balance of his contract.

“I was getting 10 calls a day from collection agencies,” Story said. “There hasn’t been a month where I wasn’t worried about paying rent or behind on rent. I was always worried about whether I’d get something to eat or when I’d eat next. It was a constant reminder that I’m not successful in this sport. Shoot man, it’s been a struggle the whole time. I spent (Monday) paying my debts off.”

Story trains at Braveheart Fight Club in Vancouver, Wash. The gym follows a Jerry Maguire, “Less-is-More” approach to fight management and boasts two pro fighters. Story’s teammate Mike Pierce won a bout at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16.

“We train to be exciting and, going into every fight, the focus is to make as much money as possible,” Story said. “Regardless if I won or lost, I had to be exciting. I knew if I lost, they would probably cut me, but at least I’d be in the back of peoples’ minds.”

While exposure is often worth the effort, entry-level fighters can still lose money to fight in the big show. The UFC pays airfare and meal per diem for the fighter and one cornerman. All other expenses are absorbed by the camp.

“We were not going all the way to Texas for $3,000,” manager Pat White said. “We wanted to get (the) Fight of the Night (bonus). That was the goal.”

Ironically, the source of Story’s economic woes was the same that eventually bailed him out. While negotiating a UFC contract, Story was prohibited from fighting elsewhere. That led to a 10-month layoff before UFC 99, where he lost to John Hathaway.

“There was a lull before that fight,” Story said. “I am a very goal-oriented person. In school, I had a plan, but it changed when I had the opportunity to become a fighter. But I wasn’t fighting and didn’t know when I would fight next, so there were definitely points where training was dragging on. This time, they gave me about three weeks to prepare, but I was helping Mike train for his fight, so I was ready.”

On a night with little competition, Story-Foster was deserving of the bonus. Foster seemed to get the better of the early going, breaking Story’s nose.

“He hit me and scrambled me, and I blacked out for a second,” Story said. “He was in front of me and then appeared on the other side. Blood was pouring out of me like a faucet.”

But the pain drove Story to fight harder.

“It’s weird. Sometimes I have to get hit to say, ‘Hey, I am in a fight.'”

Then late in the second round, the back-and-forth fight came to a surprising conclusion due to an unintended submission. As every white belt in the country rolled their eyes in disbelief, Story locked up a head-and-arm triangle while in Foster’s guard.

“I was just trying to tire him out and then move to a different position. But I could hear him wheezing, so I squeezed harder,” Story said. “My hips were really high and I could hear him gasping for air and I thought I could have this.

“So I squeezed harder.”

Foster tapped out seconds later, and the mechanism that would change Story’s life was put into motion. The submission was so rare that UFC commentator Joe Rogan could not recall ever seeing it in the octagon.

“Ricky gets unorthodox submissions all the time in training,” Pat White said. “He’s just so powerful.”

Story’s gain will also benefit Braveheart. Story said he plans to reinvest part of his bonus money in the gym.

“I want the gym to be successful and grow,” Story said. “I am lucky to be in this position.”

For complete coverage of UFC 103, including the night’s official results, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

Award-winning journalist Brad McCray is a contributor to MMAjunkie.com. He can be reached at zonesports [at] hotmail.com.

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